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StatementWe Urge the Government of Japan to Take an Initiative for a Convention Banning Nuclear Weapons and Break away from U.S. “Nuclear Umbrella”

To: Mr. Yoshihiko NODA, Prime Minister

Mr. Koichiro GENBA, Minister of Foreign Affairs

October, 2011

Japan Council against A and H Bombs (Gensuikyo)

The 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference held last May agreed on achieving “the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons” as its “objective”, and put all governments under an obligation to make “special efforts to establish a necessary framework” for that end. The First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly is currently discussing seriously with a view to implementing this agreement.

The non-aligned countries have prepared again this year a draft resolution calling for a start of negotiations leading to a convention totally banning nuclear weapons. Apart from this, Norway, a NATO member country, has prepared another draft resolution to pursue a possibility of commencing negotiations for a “binding convention” in the UN General Assembly.

To date, 185 of 193 member states of the UN have placed themselves under the treaty obligation of neither acquiring nor developing nuclear weapons as “non-nuclear-weapon states”.

Last year, China, a nuclear-weapon state as well as India, Pakistan and North Korea that had developed their nuclear arsenals, staying outside the NPT, voted for these resolutions which called for the start of negotiations leading to the conclusion of a nuclear weapons convention.

The only way to realize “a world without nuclear weapons” is to conclude a binding convention banning these weapons. This is clearly demonstrated by all past experiences that led to a ban on biological, chemical and other atrocious weapons.

Hence, we demand that the Government of Japan take the following two measures on the basis of the nation’s experience of having suffered the atomic bombing, the principles of the Constitution, the collective desire of the Japanese people for the elimination of nuclear weapons and the conscience of Japan’s diplomacy:

1.To introduce to the U.N. General Assembly presently in session a “resolution” calling for the start of negotiations to realize a nuclear weapons convention. To vote in favor of the resolution presented by Malaysia on the “follow-up to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons” as well as the resolution proposed by Norway, Mexico and Austria on “Taking forward multilateral disarmament negotiations”.

2.As a proof of good faith, to break away from the U.S. “nuclear umbrella”; to renounce all the secret agreements with the U.S. which allow its nuclear weapons to be brought into Japanese territory; to declare the strict observance of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles.

The hypocrisy of asking other countries to give up and get rid of all nuclear weapons while remaining under the “nuclear umbrella” should be rectified to avoid confidence of Japanese diplomacy being undermined.